Endless
by OneFrustrated'Writer'Person
Summary: All they see is the eyes of a dead man.
1. Death

Disclaimer: I'm a poor bloke who doesn't own anything.

I'm planning to make this into a sort of series-ish/drabble piece. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks in advance for your extreme patience. I hope you'll enjoy it.

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**Death**

**.**

He was whispering her name, Diggle's tight grip trying desperately to bring him back; he could hear Sara holding back her sobs, the traumatized shrieks of passers-by are carried by cool winds drifting through the shattered window.

He had failed. Again.

The undertaking was one thing, self-exiled for only three months when his reliant team brought him back. And though the first few weeks (months) were studded with hostile takeovers and conniving crooks, he realized (eventually) that returning had been the right decision.

But this was different.

Diggle's shouts were finally heard as weak sirens of police cars and ambulances floated to the executive floor. They needed to get out now._ Oliver._ There was no time._ Oliver._ A gentle hand touches his shoulder. This is what brings him back. He looks up.

All they see is the eyes of a dead man.

Without a second to lose, both decide to hoist his numb body, each wrapping one muscular arm around their defeated shoulders. They reach their exit point—a zip line to the adjacent rooftop. He returns to his senses, his body going on autopilot: he detaches himself; he grabs the handle and jumps; he slides along the wire (and for a moment, he thinks about letting go); he lands with the grace of a trained vigilante and runs, Diggle and Sara following closely behind.

Verdant never seemed so far away.

...

He moved like a ghost through the basement. They let him be, all of them grieving on their own. The air was growing thick with tension. It begins to suffocate him; he leaves without saying a word.

He feels his chest beginning to cave. He ignores this. He rides to the mansion like a suicidal maniac.

...

_…earlier tonight, a confrontation between the Arrow and Slade Wilson, suspected mastermind behind recent crimes, led to the latter being found dead outside Queen Consolidated. He was not the only fatality. Felicity Smoak, former IT Specialist and more recently Oliver Queen's executive assistant, was also found dead, believed to be a victim of the violent exchange. Police are saying that both tragically fell to their deaths as evidenced by a shattered window on the executive floor. No word yet from the victim's family or from the Queen family, but police are determined to solve this unfortunate mystery…_

Thea and Moira Queen were in the living room watching television when he arrives. He doesn't notice them, his eyes fixated on the screen; he feels his throat tighten.

He hears his mother call out his name. _Oliver?_ Both of them become concerned._ Oliver?_ Moira stands up. _Oliver?_ So does Thea. _Ollie? I'm so sorry._ Felicity's picture is flashed on the screen. She was smiling back at him. He hears her screaming his name. _Oliver!_ A gaudy reality show plays on the screen (which Thea frantically puts on mute). Moira begins to walk (cautiously) to her son. _Oh, Oliver. It's going to be alright._ (It won't. He already knew that much.) He turns his head, his eyes meeting hers. Moira stops, her hand covering her mouth to stifle her gasp.

She's seen that look before, seen it on herself just a few years ago.

_Ollie?_ He turns his head again. Thea sees the same.

He leaves before either knows what to do.

...

They don't see him for a long time.

...


	2. Dream

Disclaimer: I'm a poor bloke who doesn't own anything.

I hope you enjoy.

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**Dream**

**.**

He runs away to his sanctuary.

And trains until his muscles ache from exhaustion.

He doesn't sleep, nor does he want to.

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Seventy-six hours pass before his body finally breaks down.

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A gentle hand wraps around his own; and he hears a tender whisper of a voice he thought he would never hear again. _Oliver._ His eyes snap open; his tired blue eyes meeting hers. She smiles at him and sits down next to his lying form, her side pressed softly against his; and for a moment that was all he could think about, until he hears her call out his name again. _Oliver. _

He is afraid to move at first, afraid to blink and witness her vanish for the second time. She raises her eyebrows in question and starts to poke his arm. _Oliver. _No reaction. She sighs and moves to stand; his grip on her (finally) tightens. _Felicity._ She sends him an exasperated look, one she always used on him and Diggle. His heart constricts; and before she knows it, his arms are wrapped around her, so strongly she wondered if he'll ever let her go. (He won't.)

But in what seemed like hours, he finally pulls away, his hands travelling up to cradle her face.

_Felicity. Stay with me. Please. _

She turns her head and kisses the inside of his palm.

_I imagined you saying that under different circumstances._

He smiles at her then, and the tears that he had tried to prevent all came rushing out.

_Oliver._

He feels her stroke his face, wiping away his tears, and his years of suffering.

_Oliver._

He feels her lips on his forehead, feels the love that neither of them expressed.

_Oliver._

He feels their time coming to an end; and for the last time, he hears a tender whisper of the voice he knows he will never forget.

_You'll be alright._

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He opens his eyes and wonders if death would've been more merciful.

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End file.
